The monitoring and reporting of traffic conditions is an important factor in the management of traffic flow. From a motorists point of view, it can be vital in saving commuting time and unnecessary delays. Substantial effort has been directed to providing facilities which allow a motorist or other user to access traffic and related information in a timely manner.
One type of known traffic reporting is by use of a “spotter”, namely designated persons or members of the public who report traffic incidents to radio stations or a central controller, for subsequent dissemination to the public. Such a system however, cannot sustain the demand placed on it by today's user requirements.
More developed prior art systems include the use of sensors on roads, such as cameras that are linked to a central facility for the dissemination of traffic information. Sensors may be strategically located at exits/entrances to freeways and major roads. Other systems are cellular/mobile telephony based with sensors or designated spotters stationed on major roads and freeways. Such systems are integrated with a central control facility to provide cellular network subscribers with information regarding traffic flow, accidents, detours, road construction, etc. Subscribers may also have the opportunity to dial in and retrieve instantaneous information regarding a particular aspect of the traffic network such as a freeway.
The above-described systems, however, are limited in their capacity to provide useful customised information to subscribers. They are generally limited to providing the status of current traffic conditions supplemented by updated/incident reports that may give a clue to the duration of a problem. This does not satisfy the needs of the motorist who requires information relating to what the conditions will be at some time in the future when he will be travelling past locations that are currently congested. Additionally, these systems do not provide an indication as to whether alternate routes are available and/or the details of those alternate routes.
A significant drawback of prior art systems is the lack of customised and critically timed information provided to individual subscribers.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a system for reporting traffic information to individual motorists in a timely and customised manner.
It would further be desirable to provide individual subscribers of a network with forecasted traffic information relevant to those individual subscribers.
Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention before the priority date of each claim of this application.